Endy Rodríguez injury gives Pirates best chance to test David Bednar trade return

The Pittsburgh Pirates could hardly afford another injury to a regular, and losing one behind the plate only makes it sting more.

Endy Rodríguez is headed to the 10-day injured list with a left glute strain, creating yet another hole for a Pirates team already trying to survive without Oneil Cruz, Spencer Horwitz and Konnor Griffin. In barely over a month, Pittsburgh has lost its starting center fielder, first baseman, shortstop and now catcher while trying to hang around the National League playoff race.

With Rodríguez sidelined, the Pirates are recalling Rafael Flores Jr., one of the more intriguing young hitters in their system and the clearest remaining piece from the David Bednar trade with the New York Yankees who can make an immediate Major League impression. The timing is unfortunate because it comes at Rodríguez’s expense, but this is also exactly the kind of opening the Pirates should use to find out what they really have.

Henry Davis is still here, and defensively, he has done enough to keep earning starts. But offensively, his season remains one of the stranger stat lines on the roster. Davis has shown respectable plate discipline, a manageable strikeout rate and legitimate home run pop, but the results have been buried by a brutal .155/.250/.323 slash line and a microscopic .152 BABIP. There's probably some bad luck baked into that, but his career BABIP also suggests this is not entirely random.

Flores, meanwhile, brings a different kind of offensive upside. He has only nine big-league games under his belt, but he has already flashed with the Pirates this season, going 2-for-3 with a home run in limited action. His Triple-A numbers this year, a .228/.362/.342 slash with four home runs and 38 RBI in 65 games, don't necessarily jump off the page, but the on-base ability is notable.

With Endy Rodríguez out, Pirates should give Rafael Flores Jr. real runway to prove his value

Instead of viewing this as Flores simply filling a roster spot until Rodríguez returns, the Pirates should treat this as a real evaluation period.

The Pirates gave up Bednar, a franchise-developed closer and fan favorite, with the idea that the return would help them build a deeper, more sustainable roster. Opportunities to prove that don't always arrive cleanly. Sometimes they come because another important player gets hurt.

Rodríguez’s injury interrupts what had become a breakout season. Since his May recall, he has looked like the catcher the Pirates once believed could be a core piece, hitting .260/.388/.470 with five home runs and a 138 wRC+. Ideally, this is a short absence aided by the All-Star break.

But until he returns, the Pirates have a chance to answer a different question — namely, whether Flores can be more than just a trade return on paper.

Now, they finally have to find out.

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